The Emperors’ Letter to Pope Hadrian

Those who receive the dignity of empire, or the honor of the chief priesthood, from our Lord Jesus Christ ought to provide for and care about the things that please him, and to rule and govern the people entrusted to their care according to his will and good pleasure. [a] Therefore, most holy Head, it is the duty of both of us, you and us, to know without reproach the things that are his and to busy ourselves with them, since from him we have received the imperial dignity, and you the dignity of the chief priesthood. [b]

But now to come more to the point. Your fatherly Blessedness knows what was done in times past in this royal city of ours against the venerable images: how those who reigned just before us destroyed them and subjected them to disgrace and injury. (May it not be counted against them! It would have been better for them never to have laid their hands on the church.) You know too how they led astray and brought over to their own opinion all the people who live in these parts, and indeed the whole East as well, up to the time when God raised us to this kingdom. We seek his glory in truth, and we hold what has been handed down by his apostles together with all the other teachers. So now, with a pure heart and sincere religion, we have held constant conferences about the things of God, together with all our subjects and our most learned theologians, and on their advice we have decided to summon a general council. And we beg your fatherly Blessedness, or rather the Lord God begs you, he “who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” to give yourself to us and make no delay, but to come up here and help us confirm and establish the ancient tradition of the venerable images. It is indeed your holiness’s duty to do this, since you know how it is written: “Comfort, comfort my people, you priests, says the Lord,” and “The lips of the priest will keep knowledge, and the law will go out from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.” And again the divine apostle, the preacher of the truth, who “from Jerusalem and all around as far as Illyricum preached the gospel,” gave this command: “Feed with discipline the flock of Christ, which he purchased with his own blood.” [c]

Since, then, you are the true chief priest, presiding in the place and in the see of the holy and most praiseworthy apostle Peter, let your fatherly Blessedness come to us, as we said before, and add your presence to all the other priests who will be gathered here, so that the will of the Lord may be accomplished. For as we are taught in the Gospels, our Lord says, “When two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Let your fatherly and sacred Blessedness be assured and confirmed by the great God and King of all, our Lord Jesus Christ, and by us his servants, that if you come here you will be received with all honor and glory, and everything you need will be provided. And again, when the definition has been completed, which by the good pleasure of Christ our God we hope will be done, we undertake to provide you every means of returning with honor and distinction. If, however, your blessedness cannot come to us (which we can hardly imagine, knowing your zeal for divine things), then at least, we pray you, choose for us men of understanding, carrying letters from your holiness, so that they may be present here in the person of your sacred and fatherly Blessedness. Then, when they meet with the other priests who are here, the ancient tradition of our holy fathers may be confirmed in synod, every evil plant of weeds may be rooted out, and the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be fulfilled, that “the gates of hell will not prevail against her.” And after this may there be no further schism and separation in the one holy catholic and apostolic church, of which Christ our true God is the Head.

We have had Constantine, beloved in Christ, the most holy bishop of Leontini in our beloved Sicily, whom your fatherly Blessedness knows well, brought into our presence. Having spoken with him face to face, we are sending him to you with this venerable order of ours. When he has seen you, send him back at once so that he may return to us, and write to us by him about your coming: how much time we may expect your journey from there to us to take. He may also take the most holy bishop of Naples with him and come here together with him. And since your journey will be by way of Naples and Sicily, we have given orders about this to the governor of Sicily, that he take due care to have every needful preparation made for your honor and rest, as is necessary for your fatherly Blessedness to come to us. Given on the 29th of August, in the seventh indiction, from the royal city. [f]